South Jersey postal supervisor was stealing from post offices

DELRAN - A onetime postal supervisor, who oversaw the branch in his hometown and two others in Burlington County, might spend 10 years in prison for stuffing his pockets with almost $16,000 from customer transactions in the course of a year.

Getty Images

Amar D. Patel, 36, of Delran, pleaded guilty in Camden to a federal charge of embezzling, stealing, purloining and knowingly converting to his own use USPS funds in excess of $1,000, according to the office of Acting New Jersey U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick.

In his plea deal, Patel admitted palming the money 12 times, from Feb. 20, 2016, until Jan. 14, 2017. At sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 26, 2018, Patel also risks a fine as high as $250,000.

Patel oversaw operations at the Delran, Delanco and Riverside branches, and had access to cash deposit bags. The Postal Service Inspector General's Office, in July 2016, opened an investigation into cash-deposit shortages reported at all three.

Through surveillance cameras installed in the Riverside branch, Patel was seen tearing into a sealed deposit bag and pocketing cash on January 14, 2017, authorities said, adding that USPS and bank records for that day revealed a $1,650 shortage.